Crossing the River
by RixSkywalker1405
Summary: "All she dreamed of was a traversing through a white tunnel. Strangely, it provided her with an odd, yet familiar sense of comfort." Implied Advanceshipping. Oneshot. Entry for May 2017 Advancers Contest. Theme: Reunion


**Depressing music? Optional, but recommended.**

 **Track I listened to while writing: Reminiscence ~ Tragic Memories - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies**

 _ **CROSSING THE RIVER**_

May reluctantly dragged herself out of her bed, sluggishly trying to feel for the switch of the lights in her room.

A quick flick. The lights incessantly flickered and then May was once more left in the shadows she awoke in.

"The candle it is," she murmured.

10:30 a.m.

November 30th.

That's probably why the sun hadn't even risen yet. It was nearly the end of autumn. Winter was soon approaching.

May had always loved winter. The enticing thought of snow was too good for her to resist. And with Christmas right around the corner, it was the best time for her to relax and celebrate with people she loved.

But over time, people change. And when people change, so do their tastes.

May now absolutely despised both. It only served as a reminder to her as to how alone she was in the world, how isolated she felt since _his_ departure.

Shaking these depressing thoughts away, May slowly freshened up. Taking a quick glance at the outside world, she saw the colours of red and orange littered over the garden to the point where the turf was barely visible. The trees were losing their leaves faster than ever.

Beyond the garden, May had the view of the entire city. The sky had been taken over by high spiralling commercial centres and tourist attractions. Concrete jungles were only attractions.

Even more reason why May hated the city. It just seemed to climb higher and higher over the last 30-40 years. Those who couldn't hold one long enough were left behind. She couldn't hold on. And she was left behind, all on her own. Life simply moved on without her.

May looked back at the forest surrounding her house. Maybe one last walk in the woods before winter arrived.

Quickly grabbing her black coat, she walked out the stone path that led her deep into the forest.

The weather outside was not what she expected. It was actually quite pleasant. The branches were swaying rapidly, the constant crinkling of the falling leaves occupying her mind.

May simply wandered with no sense of direction. The trees had been her only company for what seemed like an eternity. And right now, they were perfect companion for her: politely silent to allow her to enjoy her stroll.

This was till the voice of the stream became increasingly audible.

May then began approaching, its soothing voice beckoning her. As it came into clearer focus, she noticed that the amount of water flowing was much lower than it earlier used to. This hurt her deeply. The stream was one of her favourite places in the forest.

Soon, all its water would stop flowing. Life just moved on. Without a care in the world…

The first drop fell. Then the second drop. This was followed by the cascade of such droplets.

It had begun to rain.

May quickly walked back to her house, nearly tripping over several branches and twigs in the process. Rain was battering hard against her face, drenching her in the process. It almost looked like she had, head-first, taken a dip in a river. Her coat was soaked, causing her to shiver slightly.

The first strike of lightning appeared when May entered back inside. The house was just as dark as when she awoke. All candles had been used up. There was just one remaining, half the wax still left for fuel. She saw no point in blowing it out. There was no wisdom in being left in complete darkness.

Feeling slightly fatigued and blaming it on her age, she slowly lay down on her bed and draped herself with a blanket. Flashes of lightning were the only source of light, the final candle now completely used up. With what little light she had, a frame came into view. It was the one frame that she had tried to avoid eye contact with the whole morning.

It housed _his_ half of the ribbon. The other half was by her nightstand. Tears threatened to prick her eyes.

May felt exhausted and emotionally drained. The thunderous pitter-patter against her window managed to lull her to a deep slumber.

And all she dreamed of was a traversing through a white tunnel. Strangely, it provided her with an odd, yet familiar sense of comfort.

 _A few years later…_

"Here's another plo' of land, ma'am. Seen anything dat strikes yer fancy?"

"Well, I did like the one we saw earlier. This one is just way too small, I need quite a bit of space for a garden. A good view of the city would be a bonus too."

Here was 30-year-old Dawn Berlitz, new to the bustling city. Her profession as a journalist left her visiting different parts of the world, so she was really looking forward to finding a place to just lie back and follow a few hobbies between tours. But before she could focus on those activities, a house was top priority.

And thus, she was being guided by a ruffian of a real-estate agent. Contrary to his appearance, the man had been quite the personality, aiding and ridding her of her lack of knowledge and naivety.

"No' a problem ma'am. Keep dat one in min' and we'll keep looking for one dat screams out to ya," he said, a lopsided grin breaking out onto his face.

Her agent then led her into a café for a quick snack, all paid for by him ("What a nice guy," Dawn told herself, smiling), as they began discussing other areas of interest.

Just as Dawn finished off the remaining few crumbs, a little something caught her eye.

"Say, is that one for sale?" she asked, pointing in the direction of a hill. Something about it had drawn her attention. Either it being the fact that she would have a good view of the city or that she wouldn't have to worry about imposing on any neighbour with her superior gardening skills (or lack thereof).

Her agent looked interestedly in the direction she was pointing, only to grimace as he realised the location that piqued her interest. She now seemed even more keen about the hill, now that she had seen his face darken.

"Ma'am, I understan' dat dis is probably because yer new here. Most people would actually avoid going dere at all costs," he said, his voice suddenly becoming melancholic.

"Why? The hill is just too beautiful, it's an ideal location! Unless it's private property?"

"No' at all ma'am. It's just dat…it used to belong to dis lovely ol' lady and her husban'. Her husban', though, died nearly 5 years ago so she was livin' all alone. Strength like no one e'er had. No one e'er saw her cry or weep. Damn shame she lost de will to live…"

"Whoa, what happened to her? She didn't, like…commit suicide or anything, did she?"

"Oh no, nothin' serious, she just passe' away in her sleep. Her death isn' de real cause of our fear though…"

Dawn was now fully invested in the story. "Go on!" she urged.

"A few mon's after her death, her house and de surrounding forest suddenly wen' up in flames. Nobody knows de reason why of course, but de fire destroyed her entire property. A few minutes an' her stuff…gone. Just gone. In de mon' of May, all was left to ash," he said, sorrow seeping into his words.

Dawn however felt that he had more to say. "I'm sensing that there's something more that happened."

"Yes," he replied, looking back at her. "All her possessions burned. All, except for two halves of a ribbon, found lying together in the mud, without a scratch on 'em."

 **All hail symbolism! This fic is pretty much the result of paying attention in English class.**

 **Moral of the story: ignore the teacher as much as possible if you want a story that's not as deep as this.**

 **On a serious note, I may have stretched the whole idea of 'Reunion'. Honestly, stuff like May coming from somewhere and Ash meeting her is quite overdone. Thus, I turned the theme on its head.**

 **Whoever said that the reunion was meant to happen when they were alive? And here came the idea for this fic.**

 **That said, leave a review on your thoughts and feelings about this story. Really helps me see if people enjoy stories like this.**

 **That's RixSkywalker1405 out.**

…

…

…

 **Now, I'll cry myself to sleep.**


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